Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Letter of Indignation of Dr. Tessa Hofmann to Jack Straw

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Letter of Indignation of Dr. Tessa Hofmann to Jack Straw

    ARBEITSGRUPPE ANERKENNUNG - Gegen Genozid, Für Völkerverständigung e.V.

    WORKING GROUP RECOGNITION - AGAINST GENOCIDE, FOR INTERNATIONAL
    UNDERSTANDING

    Dr. Tessa Hofmann
    Mainauer Str. 9, II
    D- 12161 Berlin
    Phone: 0049/30/83854208
    Fax: 851 79 74
    Email: [email protected]

    Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom
    Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
    - Jack Straw -

    King Charles Street
    London SW1A 2AH

    March 11, 2004

    - Interview with UK Ambassador Mrs Thorda Abbott-Watt

    Sir,

    it has been brought to our attention that the UK Ambassador to the
    Republic of Armenia, Mrs. Thorda Abbott-Watt has repeatedly denied the
    genocide of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during the years
    1915/16.

    Mrs Abbott Watt mentioned `mass killings` and `brutality`, but
    ignored
    that half of the victims died during death marches or exile in desert
    areas from starvation, exhaustion and epidemics. The UN Convention on
    Genocide describes such circumstances as `deliberately inflicting on
    the
    group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical
    destruction in whole or in part.' (Art. 2, c)

    Mrs Abbott Watt is wrong in publicly doubting that the case of the
    Armenian Genocide did not correspond with the definition and categories
    of the UN Genocide Convention. She may not know that the author of this
    convention, Mr Raphael Lemkin, drafted it on the empirical base of both
    the Armenian and the Jewish Genocide as case studies during WW1 and WW2.


    Mrs Abbott Watt may also be ignorant of the joint statement of May 27,
    1915, in with the governments of Britain, France and Russia warned the
    Ottoman government to held its members personally responsible for the
    crimes committed on the Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire. In this
    statement the killings of the Armenian population were categorised,
    under the terms of contemporary law, as a crime against humanity and
    civilization.[1]

    Mrs Abbott Watt is obviously not qualified as a scholar of genocide
    research. Otherwise she would know that the denial of genocide is
    considered as an integral part of the crime and its final stage. Sadly,
    Mrs Abbott Watt herself contributes to the crime of denial, thus keeping
    painfully alive the trauma of the Armenian nation and upsetting all
    others others, who are aware of the consequences of genocide denial.

    As an international NGO, which is focusing on the recognition of denied
    genocide crimes, we urge you to re-consider whether it is advisable
    that Mrs Abbott Watt, who is ignorant of basic facts of legal history
    and international relations and who makes repeated incompetent and
    offensive statements, may continue her diplomatic career in a country,
    where half of the population descends from survivors of genocide.


    Sincerely,


    Dr. Tessa Hofmann
    Chairperson

    _____

    [1] The full text reads: `For about a month the Kurd and Turkish
    populations of Armenia has been massacring Armenians with the connivance
    and often assistance of Ottoman authorities. Such massacres took place
    in middle April (new style) at Erzerum, Dertchun, Eguine, Akn, Bitlis,
    Mush, Sassun, Zeitun, and throughout Cilicia. Inhabitants of about one
    hundred villages near Van were all murdered. In that city Armenian
    quarter is besieged by Kurds. At the same time in Constantinople Ottoman
    Government ill-treats inoffensive Armenian population. In view of those
    new crimes of Turkey against humanity and civilization, the Allied
    governments announce publicly to the Sublime-Porte that they will hold
    personally responsible [for] these crimes all members of the Ottoman
    government and those of their agents who are implicated in such
    massacres.'

    Compare:
    http://www.armenian-genocide.org/Affirmation.160/current_category.7/affirmation_detail.html
Working...
X